


Xmas Miracle » Zarry

by itszaynandharry



Category: One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)
Genre: Christmas, M/M, The Meaning of Christmas, holiday fic, niam is a side relationship, zarry stylik
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-20
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-16 09:17:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8096530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itszaynandharry/pseuds/itszaynandharry
Summary: Harry used to believe in all the Christmas stories as a young child. Santa Claus, the toy making at the North Pole and even the flying reindeer. But constant disappointment in his young childhood forced him to realize the truth: Those things just don't exist. Because of that, Harry has lived life on into his early twenties with a skewed view of what the meaning of Christmas really is. But not to worry, there's a man with hand tattoos and a leather Jacket who comes along and shows him exactly what it means.





	

❄❄❄❄❄

**★December 22, 1999★**

 

"Mommy! I finally finished it!" Five year old Harry had finally said as he ran out of his room and into his mother's room. "I finished my letter to Santa!"

But when he got there, he saw that she wasn't as happy as he was. She was sitting up in bed, looking at a bunch of papers that had come out of the ripped envelopes. She was also crying.

"Mommy what's wrong?" He questioned and he climbed in the bed with her. "Why are you crying?"

She wiped her eyes and gave him a half smile. "Things didn't turn out the way I thought they would this year, Harry."

He smiled and flopped his curls. "Well, I know something that can make you better. I finished my list to put in the box at the mall. I hope Santa will get me what I asked for. I've been good all year so that he won't miss us again."

But her breath hitched and she buried her face in her hands.

He sat his list down on the bed and pat her back. "What's wrong?"

She looked at him again and then pulled the confused boy into her arms. "Harry, I have something to tell you and you're not going to like it."

"What?" He asked.

"I know you made your list and everything... and I know you were expecting him to bring you a lot of fun stuff this year, but... Santa isn't coming this year either. He can't make it."

Harry furrowed his brow and looked down in his lap. "What? Why not? Was I bad mommy?"

"No, sweetheart. You were good this year. And he really wanted to reward you for being good. But he just can't. Maybe next year. Okay?"

But Harry didn't want to answer because it wasn't okay. His list was perfect. He wanted a trainset and a mega block set. He wanted those along with a few other things. Why didn't Santa want to come to his house and give it to him? How was it that he could visit all the other kids and not him. It wasn't fair.

Before he knew it, he was crying onto his mother's chest. He knew that it was going to be so boring waking up and not finding anything under the tree he helped his mother decorate. He wasn't going to get to go back to school after Christmas break with all the other kindergarteners and tell them about the toys he got. He didn't like that at all. And so all he could do was cry onto his mother for the rest of the evening and let her rub soothing circles over his back.

 

**★December 24, 2018★**

 

Twenty four year old Harry sat down at the desk in his home and picked up the pen. He was about to write his letter to Santa but he couldn't think of anything to put down for this year.

As he leaned back in the chair he was in, it reminded him of when he was little. He remembered being excited and rushing to write down everything he wanted so he could send them to Santa in time before the deadline. Those were great, great memories. But then he remembered how he'd gone to the mall with his mother and put them in the bright red drop box just to wake up Christmas morning and find that beneath the tree was just as bare as the day before. He tried again, year after year and nothing had changed. Santa never came.

As he got older and learned about different things, he came to realize there was no Santa. Santa wasn't real. He didn't ride on his magical sleigh with Rudolf leading the way and he didn't make toys at the North Pole either. Those were all stories and his mother had knowingly lied to him.  
As for Harry, he never hated her for it. In fact, it made him appreciate her even more. He came to realize that they were actually poor when he was growing up and she could hardly put food on the table working as a waitress. But he never missed a meal.

He never felt neglected or mistreated by her and she always showered him with plenty of love. So if they had to sacrifice his Lego set and football, so that they could put food in their mouths and keep the lights on, he wasn't going to complain. He was forever going to be grateful for her hard work. Because without it, he wasn't sure he would have persevered enough to make it through his four years at the university.

He chuckled at the thought, as he tapped the pen against the desk. He still wasn't sure what he was going to write to Santa, but he knew he needed to get it done today. They would be taking the drop box away when the mall closed on Christmas Eve and he wanted to get there before that happened.

Of course Harry wasn't naïve. He wasn't going to continue to believe in him after learning the truth, but it didn't stop him. As a child, particularly when he was ten years old and he sat down and told his mother what he knew, she laughed. She couldn't began to explain how relieved she was that he finally knew, but she also insisted that they keep the tradition of writing the letter.

By then, she had been able to get a couple things each year because she'd gotten a small raise that meant it was easier to live from paycheck to paycheck every two weeks and she could save during the year. Nothing he got was expensive, but at least it was something and he appreciated how much she tried to do those things. Also, his mother wouldn't say it but he knew having him write those letters and send them to Santa every year even at age sixteen was simply because she felt bad. She felt bad that he had wrote letters for nothing as a child and since she was finally able to get him at least one thing on that list each year, it made each letter special.

Nowadays, his mother wasn't there to stick wrapped items under the tree because he had moved out and away from her. But the tradition certainly never left. It had stuck with him all the way up to now at age twenty four.

Harry had to admit it wasn't the same as getting toys. Even though he didn't get everything he asked for each year, his list became more mature with age. At age 5, he wanted mega blocks . At 8 years old, he wanted real Legos. At age 11, he wanted a boomerang. At age 14, he wanted an RC Car. But when he turned 17, he wanted money. He didn't specify how much money though, knowing how poor they were and how much they were struggling to make ends meet. But it was nice to find forty dollars balled up in a tiny box and with that, he used it help pay for his Student Financial Aid.

Now that he was out of school and had his own full time job, he was his own Santa. Presents didn't go under the tree, but rather they came from the store and he used them immediately. So when it came to writing down something he wanted, he knew that it wasn't going to be some material thing. This needed to be something that he couldn't just go out and buy. And he wanted to make it a good one.

As he started to scribble mindlessly on the paper he'd gotten, his mind drifted back to Christmastime last year when he visited his mother. "You're out of school now, honey and you have a good job." She told him. "It's about time you start looking to settle down. Don't be in a hurry. But don't take too long either. I'd like to live to see your wedding."

He remembered laughing before explaining how Mr. Right hadn't come his way yet and that maybe he would soon. However it had been a whole other year that passed since that conversation and Mr. Right still hadn't showed up. That's when he got an idea and he grabbed another blank sheet of paper. He took the pen and started to write his letter.

_Dear Santa,_

_I like to think I have been a very good man this year. So all I want for Christmas is to find the love of my life. If I could find my one true love very soon, it would make me the happiest man in the world and my mother would be the happiest woman in the world. She deserves to be happy after all she has done for me and I'm sure you would agree. So thank you in advance for whoever he may be._

_Love, Harry._

After writing the letter, he smiled to himself as he stuffed it in the envelope and licked the glue. Now he just needed to get to the mall in time to drop it off before it closed.

 

**★December 25, 2018★**

 

It was Christmas, particularly Christmas night and Harry was riding in the car with Niall who was actually his college buddy. Every time he thought about that, he chuckled. Because really that was only made possible due to their sharing one common interest: men. So they became best friends. They both had graduated and gotten their business degrees and quickly began making a successful profession out of it. Though they did similar things, they worked at two totally different companies and hardly saw each other as much as they used to.

Recently, Niall had met a guy at his job. Liam, his name was. He met Niall and Harry at a coffee shop for Mocha Lattes once. Harry didn't mind admitting he sure was a good looking man with a beard and mustache and tattoos. He was a hunk of muscle too. But his personality just wasn't Harry's type. He was too... adorable to look as intimidating as he did.

However, tonight, they were on their way to a Christmas party that Liam had invited Niall to. Harry would rather stay at home and watch 'A Christmas Story' until that stupid chant about the boy shooting his eye out got stuck in his head. But he did ditch a visit with his mother to spend Christmas with Niall and he would have felt bad if he didn't spend it with either of them. So he went anyway.

The house they pulled up to was huge. Niall had informed him that it would take place at some high class businessman's home but he hadn't expected him to live here. Just how much money was this guy making a year because if he would be willing to talk, he needed to speak with him and figure out how he could have it too.

They ended up parking on the grass and they jumped out of the car. Niall had got on the phone to call Liam, so as they walked up to the front door, Harry was able to look at the Christmas lights that decorated the driveway, up to the house. They were beautiful and colorful and he hadn't seen a display of lights like this ever. Whoever this businessman was, he certainly was in the Christmas spirit this year.

"Okay, I see you." Niall was saying and Harry's attention was taken away. Because straight ahead, was Liam waving them over. He was standing at the front door. He hung up the phone and grasped his best friend's hand. "Come on."

Within seconds, they reached him and Niall was releasing his friend to throw two arms around Liam. Harry wasn't particularly all for the hugging and kissing and reuniting, so he turned away and looked at the lights again. Wow, they were beautiful. Who in the world had the patience to hang them?

Before Harry knew it, they were inside and people where

e v e r y w h e r e.

He hadn't seen so many in one place in such a long time. Since his uni days when Niall convinced him it was okay to go to a party full of young adults who did nothing but smoke, have sex and get drunk. The only difference is that this was much more mature and there wasn't the stench of marijuana and feet.

Harry was very disappointed when Liam dragged Niall off somewhere without him because he was the one who was supposed to spend Christmas with him. Yet here he was, in the middle of all these people and he didn't even know where Niall was. He frowned because he figured his best friend should have at least spoken up and told his boyfriend. But of course he had never really been one to keep his cool around any man he ever liked, so Harry wasn't going to pretend like this was something new.

He walked around through the crowd for a bit, trying to avoid touching as many people as he could and he found himself at the kitchen entrance. There were loads and loads of foods laid out on the counters and from what he could see, there were servers who made the plates. The guests weren't allowed to go any further than where he was standing, as that was blocked off by ropes. Probably so a bunch of strange people couldn't raid his kitchen and mess up things. He thought that was rather smart. Whoever this business man was, not only did he have great taste in design but he was intelligent too.

He laughed to himself. "Well, duh, he's intelligent. He wouldn't live here if he wasn't." And he called one of the servers over to fix a cup of eggnog.

After getting it, he turned around to go in another direction. The aroma of food filled the air and the Christmas music blasted in his ears. But as predicted, he wasn't having a grand ole time. He was bored, he couldn't find Niall and all these people were starting to overwhelm him. So he did the one thing he wasn't supposed to do. He went upstairs and then slipped pass one of the red ropes that blocked off a bedroom.

The lights were off here but he could still see a little bit due to the light in the hallway shining in. He couldn't see any colors of anything, but he did notice an expensive looking glass lamp that sat on an end table and he wanted nothing more than to keep himself from knocking it down.

As he stepped away from it, he noticed two French doors were wide open, letting in the chilly air, which meant someone had been there, likely the owner of the home. He started to turn back around at first, but then he couldn't resist wanting to get a view. He knew this balcony overlooked the front of the house. Whoever lived here must have had an extraordinary view and he wanted one too.

When he finally made it through the doors, the December air hit him right in the face. So he zipped his jacket up. But he couldn't help but forget about the weather when he noticed the lights all strung about. They were absolutely beautiful and they were so close he could touch them. But he wouldn't, knowing how hot they were. This was exactly what he wanted and where he wanted to be. He'll find Niall later. Right now, he needed this alone time.

"You crossed the red rope." He suddenly heard and he jumped. He turned around to see a man standing there with a hand on a knob of one of the French doors and in his other hand, was a glass of red wine. At first glance, he appeared to be his age but Harry couldn't see him very clearly. However, he did notice the beard, the dark hair and the hand tattoos. He frowned.

"So did you. So I don't think you have any room to chastise anyone."

The man chuckled but came all the way outside. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see the Christmas lights. I had nothing to do downstairs."

"Bored?"

"Yeah."

"Me too."

"I guess a stranger's balcony is the perfect place to rid your boredom, huh."

"Something like that."

"Well, I just hope we don't get caught out here."

He noticed the man put his glass of red wine up to his face and smiled, but he didn't say anything about it.

"So... did you really come up here just to see the Christmas lights?"

Harry gave him an offended look. "Yes. I did. If you're implying I am a thief and was looking to steal, then you are dead wrong. I only came out here for the view. That's it."

The man raised his hand, causing his leather jacket to rise a little bit. "No harm done. I was never implying you were a thief. I was only curious. Sorry."

Harry calmed down, then drank a little of his eggnog. "It's okay."

"So you like them?"

"What, the lights?"

"Yes."

"Of course. They're beautiful. Whoever hung them, did an amazing job. I can't stop gaping at them."

"Really?" He asked, a little bit amused. "Are you much into Christmas?"

Harry shrugged, then sat his eggnog down on a small table next to them. "Not as much as I used to. I sort of grew out of it. Turns out, it's not as magical as I thought it would be."

"You mean that figuratively or literally?"

"Literally." He tucked some of his hair behind his ear and hunched a little. "I used to believe in Santa Claus."

"Really? How long ago?"

"Up until I was I was ten... eleven years old."

"Oh."

Harry saw him stifling a laugh and he folded his arms. "Excuse me, you think it's funny for a child to believe in magic?"

"No... I wasn't... sorry."

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. "So I take it, you never believed in Santa Claus."

"No."

"Your parents told you the truth then."

"Yeah. They told me they were buying the gifts. I guess it was easier to tell the truth to keep from having to tell it later. Plus it saved all the milk and cookies for Santa junk." Then he gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry. No offense to you because you probably did that as a kid. It isn't junk."

"None taken. I never did that. My mother never did any of that. We only wrote letters to Santa. That's all."

"Oh." He let out a breath of relief." So... um... what made you stop believing in him? How'd you figure out he wasn't real?"

Harry thought back to his childhood. "Watching TV for one thing." He said and the man did chuckle. "But a lot of times, he never came. Some years I woke up and there was nothing under the tree. Not even a little plastic car. I figured it out when I was ten, watching those Christmas movies where the parents would rush the children off to bed so they could put out the presents. But I still wondered why I never got anything. I didn't find out until I was about sixteen that we were poor. Mom couldn't splurge on useless things we didn't need. So other than giving me her love, Christmas wasn't special to me anymore. It was like every other day."

"I'm sorry." The man apologized.

"Don't apologize. It's gotten a whole lot better now. I'm old enough to know it's not about the gifts but rather getting to spend time with the people most special to you. Even when I didn't have a gift to unwrap, I always had her. I'm grateful for that. Because I never needed anything."

The man looked at him in awe. "Wow. You have an interesting viewpoint on things."

"Yeah. I guess so. Sometimes you don't have a choice when you grow up like I did. And I guess that's why this party was making me so uncomfortable. It's just a bunch of stuck up people who have always had what they wanted and I bet they don't even realize how expensive this place really is. By the way, I sure would like to know who this businessman screwed to own this place and who he's fucking over just to keep it. I'd like a shot."

There was silence.

"Well... I am a IT Project Manager."

Harry faced him quickly and froze where he was. "Wait... you..."

"Mhm."

"This is all yours?"

"Yeah." Harry's mouth parted open as the man stuck his hand out. "I'm Zayn. Zayn Malik. You?"

"I'm sorry." He said shaking it.

"Nice to meet you, Sorry."

That put a light smile on his face and he appreciated the effort to relieve the tension. "I'm Harry Styles. I'm sorry about the rude comments and uhm... yeah. I did cross your red rope."

"S'okay." He smiled.

Harry let go of his hand and faced the front. Suddenly he was as hot as the sun and he had to unzip his jacket to cool off. "How'd you come to have all this as an IT project Manager?"

"Hard work. And also it's good to have rich parents that like to spoil you too. That always helps."

Harry nodded. "So you didn't screw anybody."

"No."

"Or fuck anyone over."

"Nope. It's all honest business."

Harry hummed. "It's hard to find honest people nowadays. Everyone is so greedy and selfish. You're rare, Zayn."

He sipped more of his wine, then focused on Harry. "So are you."

Harry was glad it was dark enough not to see his flushing cheeks. "Thanks."

"I didn't hang the lights by the way. I hired someone to do it because it was too high to reach, of course. But I did create the design. They put everything the way I drew it up to be."

"Well you have amazing design skills."

"Not to be cocky but yes I do. Or else I don't think I could make it in the Computer Systems Design department."

Harry faced him with narrowed eyes. "You do realize that still came out extremely cocky right?"

He shrugged then went over and sat his wine glass next to Harry's eggnog. "Oh. My apologies. Do you like art?"

Harry frowned. "Uhm, I appreciate it. I'm not like a big fan or anything. Why?"

"I thought that maybe you'd like to go out to the backyard and see my graffiti wall. I see you have an eye for design and it just seemed like something you'd be interested in."

Harry studied him carefully, wishing he could see all the features on his face. "Uh... sure, why not."

Zayn grinned, then held out his hand. "Okay . Let's go."

Harry just looked down at it. "What?"

"Give me your hand."

"Why?"

"We're going through a crowd of people, Harry. Wouldn't want you to get lost or left behind."

He slowly took it, even though he realized how horrible of an excuse that was. It was so obvious Zayn just wanted to hold his hand. But he wasn't complaining at all.

They both stepped over the rope into the hallway where some people were. He led Harry downstairs and they went through numerous people. A few who knew Zayn, gave Harry wondering looks but they didn't ask them any questions, so they were able to go through the kitchen and down a hallway with no interruptions. No one else was there and there was a set of double doors. After unlocking it, they walked outside onto the back porch.

Just like the front of the house, the back was decorated just as beautiful. There were lights strung up and pretty gold, red and green ornaments hung from them. For some reason, his Christmas tree was outside but there were no gifts underneath it. And too, he'd just realized that a couple speakers were connected outside as well and he could hear Carol of the Bells flowing softly through them. It was like a Christmas wonderland. Gosh, Zayn was so amazing for putting all of this together.

"If you weren't going to have fun at your own Christmas party, why do all of this?" And he wished he could see his face but Zayn was leading the way and he was behind him.

He shrugged as he continued to walk, not relinquishing his hand. "Because even though I don't believe in Santa and his reindeer and all that, I missed out on the magic of Christmas too."

He was confused. "How? You got everything you wanted. Your parents were rich and they got you stuff."

"Yeah, but I often opened my things up alone. Being rich means you have to stay busy to keep everything you have. So that's what they did. I didn't get enough attention. I was mostly showered with things."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry about it. Besides we're not here to feel sorry for me. We're here to see this."

They stopped in front of a wall that lined steps that went out into the backyard. Harry couldn't believe one person had done all this. The things Zayn spray painted hardly made any sense to him, but Harry guessed they all told a story, so they were beautiful. Every last one of them.

"Can I touch it?" Harry questioned.

"Of course. The paint is dry. Go ahead."

He reached out and felt the cold wall with the palm of his hand. Of course he couldn't feel the pictures on the wall, but he felt like he could. "I'm sorry but I'm having a hard time understanding something." He said.

"What?"

"Graffiti art, leather jackets and combat boots. Those don't seem like something a rich businessman would be into. Are you sure you are the person who owns this place?"

Zayn laughed. "Yes. I am. Harry, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm an Account Executive."

"Ah, so you're into business too. But I don't see you wearing a suit right now."

"Well of course not. I'm not at work." Harry giggled.

"Okay then. It's the same with me. Just because I'm rich, that doesn't mean I don't have hobbies, or a life. Being a businessman is a job. At home I am just Zayn. I am everything I'm not when I'm at work."

Harry nodded, knowing what he was saying. "Okay, I get what you're saying. I guess I have a bad habit of judging people before I know them."

"Yes, you do, but I think it's quite hilarious. You have such an assertive personality."

"Well I wouldn't say assertive-"

"And I like it."

Harry looked down at the ground and tucked some of his hair behind his hear again. "Thank you."

Zayn finally let go of his hand and they stood across from each other. "You're welcome."

When Harry finally decided to look up again, he couldn't believe the sight. This was the first time he was able to see Zayn's face properly and oh, he was beautiful. He had a beard that carefully lined his defined jawline and silky hair that he could run his fingers through for days. He was so... pretty. He wondered if Zayn knew just how pretty he was.

"Yes, or no?"

"Huh?"

"Did you come with anybody?"

"Oh, uhm. Yeah. My best friend, Niall. His boyfriend Liam invited him and they left me all alone. I don't know where they are."

He looked intently at him. "Are you in any hurry to get back?"

"Not, really. No."

He saw Zayn light up and show his pretty teeth. "You want to take a walk in the garden? Well, it's not much of a pretty garden though, because everything is dead now. But still... you want to?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

Zayn took his hand again and they walked down the steps into the backyard. There were stepping stones that they walked on and they continued on them until they were walking between dead bushes and dead leaves.

"In the summertime, this is the most beautiful place. Lots of times I'd come out here and sit by myself just to escape the work week. I'm telling you, it does a lot of soothing for the mind."

"That's interesting. I usually stay at home and listen to music. I like the idea of having something there, kind of speaking to me."

Zayn chuckled. "Music speaks to you. Hmm. You seem to be a lot more artistic than you think. You are a very fascinating person Harry and you intrigue me."

"Really? I'm intriguing? What makes me intriguing? Because I think you may have me mixed up with someone else."

They stopped next to a little light post. "No I don't. The first thing that made you intriguing to me was that you were in my bedroom and standing outside on my balcony even though there were clearly red ropes. And more than that, you seem bitter toward certain things I understand, yet open to other things I don't. You're judgmental as hell but you know your limits. Plus I think it's kinda adorable that you once truly believed in Santa Claus. You're like a little bundle of everything. I like little bundles of everything."

Harry blushed so hard. "Why? Because you're used to getting everything you ask for?"

"I haven't gotten everything I've asked for. Not yet."

"What is it that you want? Because last I checked, you could just go out and buy it."

But he shook his head. "You can't buy love, Harry."

Hearing that, made Harry think about his mother. No matter what things they could never afford, love was the one thing that never suffered. Poor Zayn. It must've been awful growing up, wanting his parents' attention and never getting enough. That was much, much worse than not getting a football or a boomerang. "You still talk to your parents, though right?"

"All the time."

"Well that's good. Maybe they'll realize what they didn't give you."

Zayn took his hand from Harry's and stuffed them in his front pants pockets. "You're so clueless, aren't you?"

"What? You want love from them, right?"

"Harry, they love me. They have always loved me. It was just that they loved things and their jobs more than me. But that's not what I'm talking about. I want a special love. The special kind of love that means getting two mugs out for coffee in the mornings, or the kind of love that means wanting to spend the night, but not wanting to leave the next day. I'd be fine if I had that one true love to give me everything. I don't believe in magic but if there was anything I wanted to come true for Christmas, that would be it."

Harry felt something inside of his chest leap and then burst. That sounded so much like what he'd written down in his letter. It was almost like... like he was supposed to be here. Like he was meant to be at this party tonight. And he couldn't contain his excitement. "That's quite funny actually. I wished the same thing for Christmas."

"Really?"

"Yes. I wrote a letter to Santa and everything."

Zayn knit his brow. "I thought you didn't believe in him."

"I don't. But writing a letter is still something I do every year. It's a tradition my mother wants us to keep. So I'm okay with that."

Zayn was all smiles. "You are just too cute. You know that?"

He played with the zipper of his jacket until he zipped it back up again. "And here I am, thinking I was intriguing... oh well."

The dark haired man nodded, then reached out for his hand again. "Are you freezing?" He asked.

"Not exactly freezing. But it is chilly."

"Shall we go back inside then? Just in case your friend is looking for you too?"

"Uhm... only if you want to."

Zayn grabbed his hand once more and Harry was starting to realize that Zayn was wanting to hold his hand because he liked him. This beautiful, rich man liked him. Niall was going to flip when Harry told him.

They turned around and walking in the direction they came.

"Tell me... what exactly did your letter say, Harry?"

He hesitated. "This might sound cheesy. But I wanted to find the love of my life... my one true love."

Zayn let a crooked smile sweep across his face. "This is scary, yet satisfying and relieving. Two people with two totally different backgrounds, come together on one night and they want to find love. Coincidence that we just happen to be at the same party and run into each other?"

Harry was really too nervous to express how excited he really was. "Do you think it's one?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's not a coincidence. Maybe it's magic."

Harry chuckled as they reached the steps and began to go up. "Stop it, we both know it's not real. There is no such thing. Santa was never real and his so called magic was never real. They're all myths."

"Yeah. But they were myths that you found a comfort in and one that even though I don't believe in it, gives me comfort now. This party was boring even for me, until I saw you standing out on my balcony. It seems a lot like magic does exists and even if it doesn't, seeing you makes me believe it does."

Harry's face had never been redder as he looked his way. But what Zayn had said was on the edge of making him cry because it made him think of when he was ten years old and he finally received one thing he asked for. Could Zayn be right? Could they be meant for each other? Could he receive the one thing he asked for, this year on Christmas night?

"If you keep talking like that, you're going to end up making me believe in it again. And I don't want to be disappointed, Zayn. Not anymore."

They reached the top of the stairs and Harry could hear Winter Wonderland starting to play in the background. It was so very fitting because they were back amongst the lights and ornaments that decorated outside. He'd never get tired of saying how beautiful this place was.

_**♪** Sleigh bells ring are you listening_  
_**♪** In the lane snow is glistening_  
_**♪** A beautiful sight oh we're happy tonight_  
_**♪** Walking in a winter wonderland_

It wasn't until his phone buzzed, that he stopped marveling and he took the phone from his pocket. It was a text from Niall.

**Where are you? Liam and I want to leave and go to the bakery for coffee and donuts.**

Harry sighed, knowing he'd rode with Niall here. He couldn't afford not to leave with them. "Zayn, I'm going to have to go find Niall. He's ready to leave. It was nice meeting you and everything."

Zayn suddenly looked like he'd been kicked in the gut and they walked up to the sliding doors. But when they got there, instead of opening it, Zayn stopped and started to look around.

"What's wrong?" Harry questioned.

Zayn was still looking around and this time he was looking down at the floor, while he pat his front and back pockets repeatedly.

It made Harry so uncomfortable. "Is something wrong? Did you drop something? Should I help you look for it?"

"Yeah. It was green... leafy. Had a little red bow on top- it's somewhere and I've seemed to have misplaced it... I don't know where... oh there it is." He was looking up above them and so did Harry and when he saw what it was too, he quickly covered his nose and mouth up with two hands so Zayn was still able to see his eyes.

"I don't want you to be disappointed either." He said, alluding to what Harry had just said a minute ago.

He slowly dropped his hands and let them fall to his side but he didn't say anything.

"If you really have to go, do you mind leaving with a kiss?"

Harry was panicking but it couldn't be seen from the outside. "Uhm... this isn't a joke, right?"

He snickered a little. "No, Harry. It's not a joke. I really would like to kiss you. I also would like for you to want me to kiss you and I think getting to kiss you will be the perfect way to end this night. Do you mind?" He asked softly.

Harry tried to look down and avoid his eyes but Zayn firmly held his chin so he couldn't. "Do you?" He asked again.

A little grin formed on his face as he gazed at this good looking man in front of him. He certainly didn't resemble a rich businessman to him. He looked normal to him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he did end up being his one true love. "No. I don't mind."

He could then see Zayn's excitement radiate from him and his hand went from beneath his chin, to behind his neck. He wasn't exactly sure how to kiss him. He had not kissed anyone since those college parties he and Niall went to a couple years ago. But he didn't really need to know. Because the kiss was gentle, with only a little bit of tongue. It lasted only four seconds.

Harry's phone buzzed again as soon as they were apart. "I have to go Zayn. I'm sorry." He reached for the door handle.

"Could I see you again? Outside the Christmas party? Just me and you?"

Harry thought for a moment, his body getting hot again. "Alright, sure. But I'll tell you this. I'll leave my phone number in your mailbox. If you really do want to see me again, you'll call tomorrow. Deal?"

He smiled and nodded, running his fingers through his dark hair. "Deal."

When his phone buzzed once more, Harry groaned and then opened the door. "It was really nice meeting you Zayn. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too."

Harry walked inside the house and when Zayn could no longer see him, memories of five year old Harry came flooding back. All those times when he believed in the magic and was let down... those years were ruined because of it. But now that he'd thought about it, Zayn came on Christmas. So was he a coincidence, or a Christmas miracle?

Well Zayn said that seeing him was starting to make him believe in magic even when he knew there was no such thing. Those words really made him think. Perhaps that was what the Christmas magic was really all about after all. Not trees, nor gifts, nor things, nor parties nor Santa. None of that. Maybe it was about simply choosing to believe in something only because it comforted the soul. And anything that had the power to do that, well... it certainly had to be magical.

As he walked through the desolate hallway and crossed the red rope into the crowd of people, the last stanzas of Winter Wonderland played through the speakers and their short kiss repeated in his mind. He hummed to the words...

_**♪** When it snows, ain't it thrilling_  
_**♪** Though your nose gets a chilling_  
_**♪** We'll frolic and play, the Eskimo way_  
_**♪** Walking in a winter wonderland_

_**♪** Walking in a winter wonderland_  
_**♪** Walking in a winter wonderland_

**Author's Note:**

> Hoped you liked that little short story. I wrote that as a Christmas Special on Wattpad last year on December 25th and decided to put it here as well. Have any questions? Just want to talk? I'm on [tumblr!](http://itszaynandharry.tumblr.com/)


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